Sword of Salvation-Chapter 61: - Walking Disaster (2)

Although the capital city had just experienced what could be called a disaster, the life of the citizens looked much better than one would expect in such a tragedy. King Maggio and the kingdom’s officials had done their jobs exceptionally well. The atmosphere in the city could be described as relatively normal.

The first place Mariel and Celinee sought was Ultores branch’s HQ. As a leading mercenary organization in the world, finding their HQ was not difficult. Mariel and Celinee immediately learned the location after asking only eight people.

Like in Marzaretha, Ultores HQ in Iresvilea also consisted of three floors from the outside. The first floor was a casino; the second floor was a café; and the third floor was a bar and brothel. Mariel didn’t see any hallways that would lead to a basement, so he concluded there wasn’t one at this branch.

"Welcome to Ultores Café. Is there anything I can—oh, Mr. M and Lady C! Please, come in. Are you two also interested in taking King Maggio’s mission? With your strength, I believe you can bring the princess back alive."

"How do you know our names?" Celinee asked the maid who greeted them.

"Of course I know, Lady C. You two are the most promising members since Mr. Shin joined. Master Karflo has sent your information to the central HQ in Northern Continent. We received information about you two around two weeks ago. All Ultores staff in every branch must have memorized your appearance and names by now."

"I see." Celinee nodded in understanding. "We want to meet the branch leader," she continued, stating their purpose. "He or she is not busy, right?"

"Master Nea is inside. Please, follow me."

Mariel and Celinee followed the maid immediately. The interior of the café was the same as Ultores branches in Marzaretha and Norania. Even the branch leader’s office was identical, except for the person behind the desk and the visible personal items.

"Please have a seat. I’m glad to meet you."

As the maid left, Mariel and Celinee sat across from a blonde woman in her thirties wearing tight clothing.

"I’d love to make small talk, but considering the situation the kingdom is facing—and the fact that you both look like you’ve just finished a long run—that doesn’t seem appropriate. So, let’s get straight to the point. How can I help you?"

Nea’s observation was quite accurate. Both Mariel and Celinee had regulated their breathing to normal. They also showed no visible signs of fatigue. Yet the woman could accurately tell that they had just run for a long time.

"We also—"

"You don’t mind if I check out your book collection, do you, Master Nea?" Mariel interrupted Celinee’s words.

Celinee shot Mariel a glare, annoyed at being cut off. Mariel pretended not to notice. Nea smiled, amused by their interaction.

"Of course," Nea replied. "You can even take any book you like."

Nea ended her sentence with a playful wink at Mariel, which successfully redirected Celinee’s glare to the woman. The glare, of course, had no effect on Nea, who seemed even more entertained.

Mariel chuckled slightly but immediately got up from his chair and walked over to the bookshelves lined up a few steps to the left of the desk.

"So, what were you about to say?" Nea asked again after a moment, her eyes fixed intently on Celinee.

Celinee snorted but didn’t bother addressing what had just happened. "We also want to take on the mission King Maggio issued," she said. "But first, we need to know Doctor Lergen’s location. Ultores is the primary supplier of demon hearts to him. I’m sure you’d immediately know the moment he arrived...."

Mariel no longer paid attention to what Celinee was discussing. His eyes and mind were now focused on the row of books before him. He couldn’t miss the opportunity to gain information about the holy swords. Additionally, he wanted to learn more about Primordial Demon Levia. That demon had lived for a long time—someone must have written about Levia.

Perhaps he could find that information here.

Whether through luck or fate, Mariel found what he was looking for in less than two minutes. Between two differently-colored books sat an old blue book titled Flower of Levia. Mariel pulled it out without hesitation but didn’t open it right away.

His eyes continued scanning the shelves.

However, by the time Celinee and Nea had finished their conversation, Mariel hadn’t found any books with information he needed. Ahuramazda, Tiamura, Eleasvira, Gigarunga, and Zahuravarda—the locations of these five weapons remained a mystery to him.

"Mariel."

Mariel stepped away from the bookshelves when Celinee called him.

"Did you find the book you wanted?" Nea asked.

"Earlier you said ’you can take any book you want’, didn’t you, Master Nea?"

"Yes, I did."

"In that case, I’ll take this one." Mariel showed the back cover of the book. "I won’t show you the title because you said ’any book I want’. But I’m sure you already know the title, Master Nea."

"Oh, that’s an interesting choice. You can take it."

"Thank you, Master Nea."

"No need to thank me. It’s just one book. But if you really want to show your gratitude, you can always invite me upstairs."

The upper floor was a bar and a brothel. By saying she wanted to be invited upstairs, was Nea implying that she wanted to be treated to drinks? Or was she also working as a prostitute?

The easiest way for women to make money was by selling their bodies, especially if they were extraordinarily beautiful. A prostitute with a pretty face and a seductive body could earn more than a thousand gold coins from one client. Nea met both criteria; she could charge a high fee.

"Are you implying what I think you are?" Celinee asked, her face showing displeasure.

It would be unfortunate if Nea were a prostitute; Mariel hoped their concerns weren’t true.

"I don’t know what you’re thinking, Lady C. But I think my intentions are clear. Women like me enjoy being treated to drinks, you know. Oh, are you perhaps thinking I’m a prostitute? How cruel, Lady C. Though if Mr. M were my client, I might not mind. What do you say, Mr. M? Want to hire me? I’m sure you’re still a virgin. I can teach you many things."

"..."

Celinee was speechless, staring at Nea in disbelief. "You!"

Mariel remained silent; he realized something.

"Hahaha. I’m just joking, Lady C. Don’t get so upset. But Lady C, if you don’t take the opportunities presented to you, someone else might claim them. Here’s some advice from one woman to another: you should claim what you want before someone else does."

Mariel realized Nea’s true intentions.

"I don’t understand what you mean, Master Nea. What I want right now is Doctor Lergen’s death. If someone else claims his life before I do, that’s even better. The sooner he’s dead, the better for the world."

"Hahahaha. Good luck, Mr. M, good luck. You’ll really need it."

Celinee frowned behind her mask.

Mariel gave a mysterious smile. "I don’t know what you mean, Master Nea. But I certainly don’t need any luck. Come on, C, it’s time for us to go. And, Master Nea, perhaps I’ll treat you to drinks some other time."

After saying that, Mariel walked toward the door. Celinee shot a glare at the head of the Iresvilea Ultores branch before turning and following Mariel.

"So, did you get the information?" Mariel asked as soon as they left the three-story building.

Celinee shook her head. "Nea isn’t running any demon heart trade," she explained. "Sterminatore branch here is heavily monitoring them. Any illegal activities involving demons might not exist here. So she doesn’t know where Doctor Lergen is. She didn’t even know he was in this city before."

"That’s unfortunate. We rushed from Neiracia to get here. Ah, Celinee, how about we split up to gather information? Doctor Lergen is good at hiding like a snake. There may be specific places he visited while he was in this city."

Celinee considered the suggestion for almost a minute. Then she nodded. "I think it’s worth trying," she added. "I’ll start from the east. You start from the south. Let’s meet in the northwest part of the city, Mariel."

With that agreement, Celinee and Mariel headed in different directions.

Of course, gathering information about Doctor Lergen wasn’t Mariel’s real reason for suggesting they split up.

He had given that reason because he knew Celinee would agree one hundred percent. He needed to separate from Celinee to begin his plan. Mariel might tell Celinee in the future, but for now, the ninja didn’t need to know his true objective.